Tagged With "Find the WHAT"
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In the beginning....
I faced an extremely traumatic event in 2017. It made me review my life. From midnight to 6 am in the morning, I saw my whole life before me and all the trauma. Layers upon layers of trauma beginning from childhood My brain connected all my life experiences with what I had learned to recreate insight into who I was. And then I knew that I had been defined and confined to a life as a victim to the years of trauma I had faced and did not resolve. My facade crumbled as I ripped my mask from my...
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Child Youth and Wellbeing Strategy NZ
The New Zealand Child Youth and Wellbeing Strategy https://childyouthwellbeing.govt.nz/resources/child-and-youth-wellbeing-strategy-html For further information, you can visit https://childyouthwellbeing.govt.nz/ Our Prime Minister, Jacinta Adern is currently the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction. The following is an excerpt of the Forward to the Child Youth and Wellbeing Strategy Our vision for the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy is a bold one - that New Zealand be the best place in...
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Recovery is our journey to healing......you have to keep searching until you find
Recovery from trauma is extremely hard when you don't know what you are recovering from and why you would even want to recover. To recover you have to know what it is that has caused you harm and understand what you have done to deal with that harm. It is very hard to do it by yourself. You need the support of others. You need to find someone who resonates with you and that means you have to search for that person. After 34 years of searching, I found my princess, a counsellor. I know...
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Oranga Tamariki - Ministry FOR Children are trauma-informed but NOT in the way they work
In New Zealand, we have Oranga Tamariki - Ministry FOR Children. This is what Oranga Tamariki state on their webpage: Oranga Tamariki was established on April 1, 2017. We are a Ministry dedicated to supporting any child in New Zealand whose wellbeing is at significant risk of harm now, or in the future. We also work with young people who may have offended, or are likely to offend. Our belief is that in the right environment, with the right people surrounding and nurturing them, any child...
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NZ ~ Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions
The Royal Commission of Inquiry are looking into what happened to children, young people and vulnerable adults in State and faith-based care in Aoteoroa New Zealand between the years 1950-99. They may also listen to survivor experiences before and after these dates. The inquiry is considered to be the largest in the world given its scope and terms of reference Why have an Inquiry? Many people and organisations - survivors, community leaders, iwi and Māori, the Human Rights Commission and the...
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Presence With @ www.wertknowing.com ~ ImagiNATION
This arrived in my inbox. I am subscribed to Jodi Wert's Blog. Here's a link to the most recent blog post @ Wert Knowing: imagiNATION ∞ Presence With (includes a video with subtitles / CC). Jodi shares a powerful message - Presence and Solidarity begins with self Her focus may be for Early Childhood. Her knowledge is valuable to us all. Watch this video with an open heart and open mind. The reason I like Jodi's blogs. She presents information in an accessible way. Jodi uses the power of...
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NZ Education and Workforce Committee recommends the legalisation of teachers use of force against students
In the recently released final report the Education and Workforce Committee has recommended that teachers can use "physical force" on their students. They recommended that a definition of "physical force" be inserted into clause 95 (p.5). The definition of force they have provided reads, " force in relation to a student, directed toward the body of a student so as to move, or prevent, restrict, or subdue the movement of, the student's body or any part of the student's body against the...
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Nick Larson, leadsinger for Próxima Parada ~ Healing trauma through music
This morning I joined a ZOOM with ACES Connection. The topic was healing trauma through music. Our guest speaker was Nick Larson (Lead singer and songwriter) from the band, Próxima Parada. Nick uses music to communicate his feelings and to seek clarity. His music is a conduit of his emotions, his interpretation of his lived experience and the experiences of others as he moves through his journey of healing. Through this process, he finds clarity and understanding of his emotions and life...
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Ignite your curiosity
I have joined a number of ZOOM meetings hosted by ACES Connection which have exposed me to the work of many people who have inspired and motivated me. My thinking has been challenged, extended and expanded. My curiosity has been ignited I have been filled with hope and energised to share that hope to others We must acknowledge that we only know what we know If what we know does not feel like the truth then we must seek the truth If what we do does harm to ourselves or others then we must...
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Intergenerational poverty, racism and trauma in New Zealand
To many, New Zealand looks like and sounds like an island paradise with the world's most charismatic leader. New Zealand is a beautiful country with beautiful people and a beautiful leader. It hides our reality of intergenerational poverty, racism and trauma with high rates of child abuse, child poverty, bullying in schools, suicide and family harm. Maori, the indigenous peoples of NZ and Pacific Peoples are over-represented in those statistics. We have known this for years as have...
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Child poverty in New Zealand
Anita Baker, Mayor of Porirua was on Breakfast this morning (Monday, 24 August NZTime) she shared her concerns about child poverty in Porirua. She based her concerns on a report by the Porirua Council about child poverty. The report was based on statistics collected before COVID. Anita Baker made a call to our governments to tackle child poverty. Her statement includes a link to the report. This is happening across NZ. It is not isolated to Porirua. Important messages that Anita shares with...
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They "think" they know what it is like ~ They don't
Anita Baker, Mayor of Porirua, NZ made the statement when discussing child poverty in NZ : They "think" they know what it is like. They don't In NZ, we have many vulnerable people who are marginalised because of who they are and who they are not. Their culture, their beliefs, their ability, their disability, the colour of their skin, the country they come from, their identity. Kevin McLeod uses the term "otherness". I see "otherness" happening right here in NZ, our paradise in the pacific.
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We learn from the stories from those who have gone before us
Who we were is not who we are now Incarcerated youth need more guidance and support to uncover their inner selves So that they understand who they are and why they do what they have done Then they need guidance and support to learn how to forgive themselves for doing what they believed they had to do to survive. They need to learn how to care and love themselves So that they can care and love others. Books can expose us to the thinking and life journeys of others Books can show us how we can...
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We frame the way we "see" the world ~ it reflects who we are
When I was very young I sat with my grandma She was bed-ridden So she always asked me to tell her what I could see in detail For HER She would ask me questions She changed The way I saw EVERYTHING I now know why I can see the finer details and that I frame what I see to reflect All that I AM I saw this blog from Jodi Wert on her blog, Wert Knowing And it reminded me of my Grandma We frame the way we "see" the world I like the way you frame the world of children's learning Thank you, @Jodi Wert
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Protected Factor Framework ~ Free introductory webinar
I attended the Protected Factors Framework Introduction webinar with Elizabeth Smith from Project Whole Child. It was a very good presentation. Very interactive, great video clip and great slides There is another free webinar - closing date Wednesday 16 December USA time Places are limited I recommend that you register for this if you want to know more about what you can do to strengthen families. The Protected Factors Framework is an approach ~ a way of viewing the world When we change the...
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We are now Trauma-responsive New Zealand
Kia ora whanau, I have changed our community name to Trauma-Responsive New Zealand If you have Bookmarked the old site then you will discover it no longer exists It does exist Just under a different name. ACES Connection has also changed their name too PACEs Connection A positive change with the P for positive It goes to show that we are a community of people who are responsive We are not stuck We are moving at "PACE" towards our destination And as we do so we are increasing our momentum as...
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New Zealand's first comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of ACES in the NZ population
This is NZ's first comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of ACES in the NZ population It shows what many of us have known for years, especially those of us who have been raising our concerns, that NZ has a problem The problem is that our children are facing Adverse Childhood Experiences in NZ especially those who are are Young From low socio-economic backgrounds are Maori It also shows that exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences are significantly associated with exposure to Intimate...
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New Zealand Human Rights violations known to the United Nations
I have PTSD. It is an invisible disability. It took me years to accept that I had mental health issues and it took longer for me to accept that I was a person with a disability. I have faced layers of trauma from what others have done to me. Those "others" included those who had a responsibility to protect me. They were not just people I loved but people who held positions of power and they were paid and employed by the NZ government to protect me. They did not They effectively used their...
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Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Human Rights in New Zealand ~ Are they working?
New Zealand's Human Rights system is bound byTe Tiriti o Waitangi. Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840 by the Crown and Maori. It is legally binding and acknowledged internationally as a constitutional document. Many do not know about He Whakaputanga o te Rangitiratanga o Nu Tireni, our Declaration of Independence which was signed five years earlier by more Maori on 28 October 1835. He Whakaputanga o te Rangitiratanga o Nu Tirene is weaved into Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is...
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I am learning to Self-Regulate ~ I am learning to STOP
I have PTSD. It sounds scary and many people judge me and sometimes fear me It does not help when I get dysregulated because I get loud, aggressive, and send out words of my truth like daggers. My truth, my message no matter how insightful and valuable is LOST in translation as I watch the walls go up over the ears of the recipients ~ the very ones that I want to LISTEN to me. Delivery of the message counts, people, more than it should. Human nature dictates that it does. The anger that I...
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Whatever I have ~ Empower me with KNOWLEDGE and TOOLS
In response to a comment to a post Misdiagnosis: Is It Bipolar Disorder or Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder , I made this comment. I believe it could HELP others I agree that the two overlaps and may co-exist hence why it is so very important to access a full history of life experiences from the person. The difficulty of course is that the person has often lost trust with people including those who want and can help. That is why TIME is so important - TIME to build a trusting...
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Communal Mastery ~
Communal Mastery could be applied to the NZ context as it embraces the Maori way of doing things The article Coping with Trauma Communally Reduces PTSD Risk By José G. Luiggi-Hernández August 18, 2021 Provides us with additional evidence of the importance of investigating and using "Communal Mastery" to address not just PTSD in women but the possibility of addressing many issues that we addressed individually in the past. You see, as individuals, we face harm from others and from our...
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Social and Emotional Supports for Educators During and After the Pandemic
Americanprogress.org released an article 'Social and Emotional Supports for Teachers During and After the Pandemic' giving a ton of great information on the stress that educators deal with regularly. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning defines SEL as the process where youth and adults learn skills to manage emotions, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible decisions. "Research by Pennsylvania State University found that teachers who...
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How the Brain Perceives and Remembers a New Place
How the Brain Perceives and Remembers a New Place Featured Neuroscience·August 24, 2021 Summary: Combining virtual reality with neuroimaging, researchers identify how the brain perceives and remembers a novel place or landscape. Source: NTNU Surprising discovery #1 : We remember where, but not what It turned out that the subjects had an easier time remembering where things were placed than exactly what things were placed in each location. Surprising discovery #2 : Good networks mean...
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What is the Freeze Response from Dr. Aimie, Trauma Healing Accelerated
This arrived in my Gmail inbox from Dr. Aimie ~ Trauma Healing Accelerated. I am sharing as it may resonate with someone out there What is The Freeze Response? The pattern of stress and then collapse. High energy and then exhausted. Anxiety followed by heaviness and feeling down. If you identify with this up and down pattern, you may likely be experiencing a chronic freeze response. This is a very common pattern of the biology of the nervous system! The freeze response is one of the states...
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Mia Mingus ~ Leaving Evidence
@Umi Asaka kindly shared this short sound clip (3:29min) with me. As I read it I thought came floating gently into my head Interview between Mia Mingus and Alice Wong 23 August 2014 This is a short audio clip from an interview of Mia Mingus, activist, and writer, conducted by Alice Wong, Project Coordinator of the Disability Visibility Project at StoryCorps San Francisco on August 23, 2014. Text transcript: Alice: In your blog, Leaving Evidence, this passage really resonated with me. You...
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We're Going on a Bear Hunt I'm not scared with Michael Rosen
We're Going on a Bear Hunt is an old favorite of mine. When I was a teacher I would sing this song and do the actions in our school assemblies. The children loved it. Now that I am older with all my lived experience of trauma. I can identify the strong message the story gifts to us We are all going on a bear hunt When we face adversity We can't go over it We can't go under it We can't go around it We got to go through it Then when we find the bear in the deep dark cave We can run home to our...
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Lake Alice ~ What New Zealand did to their own
(Blog image of Paul Zentveld - Lake Alice abuse survivor) Read this NZ Stuff article by Aaron Smale I ask that you reflect on your definition of mental health Your definition of mental health will determine how you respond to people with mental health The term "mental health" does not need to change Our perceptions, our definition, our response to the term "mental health" needs to change. Once I said that we need to take away the term "mental health" and replace it with another term. I...
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The Lake ~ Uncovering the Truth Lake Alice New Zealand
Many thanks to Stuff and Popsock Media , investigative journalist AARON SMALE for all the hard work you have done in order to get THE LAKE series released. Lake Alice was a psychiatric hospital between Whanganui and Palmerston North in New Zealand. Lake Alice is effectively isolated as it can be found in the middle of farmland. Nowhere to run. Noone to see. Noone to hear. Lake Alice was a place for both adults and children with "psychiatric problems" including children with bad behaviour. It...
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The Hidden Biases of Good People: Implicit Bias Awareness Training
The Dibble Institute is pleased to present an introductory webinar by Rev. Dr. Bryant T. Marks Sr. of the National Training Institute on Race and Equity , which will provide foundational information on implicit bias. It will focus at the individual level and discuss how implicit bias affects everyone. Strategies to reduce or manage implicit bias will be discussed. Broadly speaking, group-based bias involves varying degrees of stereotyping (exaggerated beliefs about others), prejudice...
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NZ Family Violence Prevention Strategy
ACC is investing $44.9 million over four years to establish a fit-for-purpose sexual violence primary prevention system, Minister for ACC Carmel Sepuloni announced 3 October 2021. “Almost a quarter of adults in New Zealand have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, and around one in six people are affected by sexual violence before the age of 18,” Carmel Sepuloni said. “These high rates cannot continue. We need to put in place systems that protect our whānau and our future...
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New Ministry for Disabled People to be established in New Zealand
This is great news for people with a disability in New Zealand. Many thanks to all those who worked so hard to make this happen and to Carmel Sepuloni our Minister for Disability Affairs and to Andrew Little our Minister for Health On Friday 29 October 2021 the NZ Government made an announcement on transformative changes for disabled people A joint message from Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni and Minister of Health Andrew Little Tēnā koutou katoa, It was a pleasure for both of...
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Growth through trauma
There is growth through trauma. Hard as it is, there IS growth through trauma. Very often, we do not see it at the time. It is not until we reflect on what happened and find possible reasons why we faced a flashback or responded so badly to a trigger. I have been forcing myself to attend the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care hearings because I wanted to discover WHY professionals working in our State institutions would cause harm to children and youth. I wanted to discover WHY they...
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How do I contribute to the state of our education system in New Zealand?
Life learnings for today Many of those I support Those facing schools that target their children Clarification of target: Effectively actions the school uses to discriminate against children in a way that the children know that they are different and that difference is not acceptable to them, the school Whanau (family) often face these types of responses Group 1: Shut up and put up - stop complaining and it will go away Group 2: You or your kid must have done something wrong ~ You deserve it...
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Wahoo traction ~ NZ is reaching out to get Trauma Informed
I attended Global Resiliency Accelerator group on Tuesday 7 March 2023 at 6 am NZTime hosted by Warren Larkin and Becky Haas. I was smiling this morning ~ Great News I heard New Zealanders are reaching out to attend Trauma-informed programmes and Warren Larkin has visited New Zealand to work with others here in NZ Warren Larkin shared this report with us this morning He Oranga Ngakau ~ Maori Approaches to Trauma-Informed Care He Oranga Ngākau is a research project funded by the Health...
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Through death comes learning and growth
Warning: it may be triggering Below is a link to an article from the NZ Herald today It triggered me Because I have lived it Many others have too We remained silent Thanks to the NZ Herald journalist, Carolyn Meng-Yee And his wife lives on with her memories I hope that Pua's wife gets all the support she needs I thank her for having the courage and strength to share her journey with us So that we can take time to reflect and learn I am sending her all my aroha and awhi to surround her to...
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Woodworking and Hugs: Inside the Mental Health Movement for Men (reasonstobecheerful.com)
Credit: MSUK To read MaryLou Costa's article, please click here. Recognizing that “m en will talk shoulder to shoulder, but not necessarily face to face,” Men’s Sheds give guys a space to tinker while they open up — and heal. “While you’re doing this, you’ve got to concentrate on what you’re doing. And it takes your mind off other issues, and for those couple of hours, you kind of relax. Once you start feeling better, it’s like dropping a pebble in the water, and those ripples come back out,...
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The danger of Flashbacks
The danger of flashbacks is that once you are back there, You can get stuck and Never find a way out. That is why we need strategies To find our way out again When you are with a person especially children who are facing flashbacks Please show us kindness and compassion And if you have absolutely no idea about what I am saying Please educate yourself If there is anything that is going to help us ALL to get unstuck Is empathy and that means EVERYONE knows about trauma and what it is like...
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Support our mothers to be the best that they can be
Mothers need our support and guidance to become the best mother that they can be for their children Social workers and principals/teachers in New Zealand MUST use best practices in order to keep those they work with, both children and their parents safe Currently, there are far too many social workers and principals/teachers that do not use best practices causing significant harm to our parents and their children. Sadly, many professionals using bad practices are women, many are mothers.
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Find the WHY to know WHAT to do
Once you find the WHY Then you can find the WHAT WHY the behaviour WHAT I NEED TO DO In order to address a problem In order to address a behaviour You need to find out WHY it is happening That requires a thorough ecological assessment The collection of evidence from a number of sources Analysing the evidence To see if it matches If the evidence does not match You have to go and find more evidence TRUTH is when you get the same message From all sources When you have the TRUTH Then you can...
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Emotional work is invisible work
Emotional work is invisible Emotional work is just as hard as physical work You just can't see it Very often we are excluded or judged by others as incapable of holding down a job Because we have moments when we can't perform when called to attention It is NOT that we do not want to It is very often because in that moment of time we CAN'T do it Please do not discredit us Please do not exclude us Please do not judge us Give us time and space to deal with our trauma and to heal We can do the...
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Use Trauma to Heal, not Harm
My trauma started when I was harmed by people I trusted When I screamed for help Nobody came Those that watched They turned and walked away I was stuck in fear With no way out I was a child I became a victim Succumbing to the control of others in the hope that they would leave me alone Submission Pleasing Consoling Making excuses for their behaviour Creating another narrative Dissociating Living in a fairy tale The princess to be saved by a knight in shining armour He never came Sadly, I...
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EXCITING NEWS – PACEs Connection is BACK!
Former PACEs Connection employees Dana Brown (L) with Vincent Felitti, MD, co-author of the 1998 Adverse Childhood Experiences study, and Carey Sipp (R) in San Diego in January, 2024. The last few months have been quite challenging, but we pushed, persevered, and didn’t give up hope. The “we” is Carey Sipp and Dana Brown. We were long-time staff members of PACEs Connection determined to reinstate the website and the resources and information we provide to communities after the platform went...